Michael
longingly looked out his window at the forest; the sun shone down upon the
trees, casting them in a golden glow. He
turned back to his room - a bent cot in the corner with threadbare blankets and
a flat pillow, well-worn clothes and cheap, broken toys littered the
floor. The vibrations from the blaring
TV downstairs traveled through his legs and into his teeth; his skull throbbed
with the onset of a headache. He knew
his parents lounged on the couch right now, the rubber cord tied securely and
the needle stuck in the crook of their arms.
Drool dripped from the corner of their mouths as they stared blankly at
the TV. The rank smell of week-old
takeout and burnt Pop-Tarts filled the hallway and assaulted his nose. Michael set his jaw and finally decided
enough was enough.
His
Superman backpack sat in the corner (his sole undamaged possession; a reward
for winning his class spelling bee).
Michael didn't own much and what he had would fit well enough. He picked a few of his best shirts, jeans,
some socks and underwear, then packed his bag of marbles on top. Five more strained minutes and both of his
parents would be dead to the world.
They
didn't even stir as he shut the door; the screen always clanged no matter how
quietly he tried to close it. The
outside world beckoned to him: the wind
in his hair pulled him into its embrace; the forest enticingly shimmered in the
distance. Though the sky had turned
overcast, Michael could still see the forest beaconed by the last ray of dimming
sunlight. He imagined the treehouse he
would build; complete with a rope ladder and a slide escape (he’d worry about
where to find the slide later). His planning passed the time quickly and soon
he was within the forest. Branches thick
with hunter foliage drew him further along.
A gentle peace
surrounded him as the forest serenaded his ears with cricket and critter
sounds. Michael walked deeper and
eventually stumbled upon a small clearing padded with soft moss. A large, bushy branch overhead promised shade
when the sun reached its tendrils through the canopy. Small branches jutted out from the trunks
creating a natural ladder, while a fallen tree nearby could be used as his
slide. Michael set his backpack next to
a hollow tree stump and looked around, enjoying the natural silence the forest
offered. Yawning, he nestled down
amongst the moss, letting the softness and lingering warmth of the faded sun
soothe him in a way his bed never had.
Something small
and hard hit him square in the forehead, causing him to stir. Michael frowned as he awoke, momentarily
disoriented. He rubbed his head and
looked around for the source, eventually witnessing a marble slowly rolling
away. Movement drew him toward the stump
from where a small creature peeked its head, holding his bag of marbles in its
teeth. It watched him with over-sized green eyes reflecting the forest. With
its tall, pointed ears, a fox-like snout, and rough, brown skin, the creature
almost blended into the stump. Michael
wondered if it had been there throughout his nap.
"Hi,"
Michael whispered. The creature blinked
at him then whispered "Hi" back in Michael’s voice. "My name is Michael," he said, to
which the creature responded the same.
"You can't be Michael too...that's my name!" and again the
creature mimicked his words. The boy
looked into the creature’s eyes, trying to slow down his frantic heart. He had imagined fantastic creatures and wild
adventures during many lonely nights. Yet here was one staring him in the face
and Michael could only react with hesitation and slight fear. The creature looked at him sadly and made a
small croaking noise. It hopped behind
the stump but quickly emerged looking the spitting image of Michael! The eyes were still different; a little too
big and too wide with that forest-green tint.
"How’d you
do that??" Michael asked. The
creature shrugged and stated "My name is Michael.” It cackled and took off running. Nervously, Michael followed and soon they
were sprinting out of the forest and into Michael’s front lawn.
Michael halted,
confused about how the creature knew where he lived. Reaching back, he tried to remember if maybe
he had seen those big, green eyes peering out from the forest’s darkness. The creature eyed Michael curiously as it
snuck inside, silently shooshing him. Michael creeped over to watch from outside the
living room window. The creature tiptoed
to Michael’s parents, put its fingers in its mouth and stretched his lips wide,
tongue wagging. Soundlessly laughing, it
reached into its pocket and pulled out a handful of green powder. A sharp glint flitted across its eyes as it
blew the powder into their faces. His
parents sputtered as they inhaled, their eyes popping open wide. Seconds passed as they sat stone-still
staring at nothing. The creature sidled
up to Michael’s mom and gently pushed.
She fell into his dad and they both slid to the floor, their skin
turning a bluish-gray as it boiled off...
Michael turned
away, blinking rapidly to clear the horrifying vision. He pushed the heels of his palm into his eyes
to stop the tears threatening to fall.
Shivering, he removed his hands. The creature stood in front of him
again, reverted back to its original form.
“You can live with me now,” it croaked.
“You are free!” Michael stared,
thoughts racing as he thought of his parents writhing on the floor. Biting his lip, he glanced at his bedroom
window where he had created so many fantasies about a better life. It couldn’t be any harder than what he
already lived through. The creature had
rescued him in its own, twisted way but he saw a genuine concern in its eyes,
something his parents never expressed.
This creature could offer him the adventure and companionship he
desperately desired. Besides, he could
always run away again...